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Thus Spoke Zarathustra

WRITTEN BY:
Friedrich Nietzsche

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a 19th century literary masterpiece and key philosophical work by Nietzsche. Zarathustra descends from his cave in the mountains after ten years of solitude, brimming with wisdom and love and wants to teach humanity.

The individual lessons and sermons delivered by Zarathustra cover most of the general themes of Nietzsche’s mature philosophy, though often in highly symbolic and obscure form.

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Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science. His influence remains substantial within areas reaching far beyond philosophy and his works remain a key source of philosophy reading and discussion. Nietzsche was a Libra.

The Offshore Pirate

WRITTEN BY:
F. Scott Fitzgerald

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

This short story begins on a yacht anchored off the Florida coast where a young woman, Ardita, and her Uncle are engaged in a heated discussion about her dating decisions. Ardita, independent and stubborn, is set on marrying a young man who her uncle believes does not have the highest character values. She refuses to leave the yacht they are on to go to town with him and meet someone who he believes is a better match for her. So she stays behind. But while he is gone, the boat is overtaken by a band of pirates. Ardita is unwilling to surrender the vessel so they take her to sea with them and that is where the rest of the story unfolds. This short story is from the book “Flappers & Philosophers”

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0097_OffshorePirate_FScottFitzgerald

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F. Scott Fitzgerald

The 1920’s, also known as the Jazz Age, were wild times, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald was its king. Although he led a wild and luxurious lifestyle, Fitzgerald was known more for his prominent works of literature, which have gained a permanent place among the American classics. This CD set contains two short stories from his book Tales of the Jazz Age, which reflect the era and lifestyle of which Fitzgerald was accustomed.

The Pit and the Pendulum

WRITTEN BY:
Edgar Allan Poe

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

This short story is about a man who is brought in front of the Spanish Inquisition and judgment passed upon him to suffer the horrors of the Pit in Toledo. Toledo, Spain is located just south of Madrid and was the center of the Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition was originally intended to ensure the belief and practices of those who converted from Judaism and Islam, but the methods used for those who were judged to be heretics was torture. His torture involved being thrown into a pit, being drugged and strapped to a table where a large pendulum blade is slowly lowered directly over his awaiting body. Poe brings a real sense of fear during an intense episode of this single prisoner.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0096_PitandPendulum_EdgarAllanPoe

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Edgar Allan Poe

This American poet and writer is best known for his tales of mystery, horror and sheer terror, at least for the Victorian Age of the mid-1800s, which was his early audience.

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The Dead

WRITTEN BY:
James Joyce

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

The main character in this short story is Gabriel Conroy and the entire short story takes place during his attendance at a holiday party, annually thrown by his aunts. Near the end of the party Gabriel sees his wife, Gretta, in a new and expanded way at the same moment when she is reminiscing on a song being sung at the party. Listen as James Joyce weaves harsh realities back into this story, as is characteristic with other stories in this series, Dubliners.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0091_TheDead_JamesJoyce.pdf

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James Joyce

James Joyce is an Irish author best known for his epic novel Ulysses, as well as his collection of short stories titled Dubliners. His Irish experiences form a basis for his writings and his short story collection is said to be a penetrating analysis of the stagnation and paralysis of Dublin Society.

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

WRITTEN BY:
Washington Irving

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

This is a famous tale of an old schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, who transfers to a small secluded settlement called Sleepy Hollow. During the course of the story Ichabod competes with the town bully, Brom Bones over the hand of Katrina Van Tassel. Listen to the story as one night Ichabod leaves a lively party of food, drink and scary story telling only to confront the infamous Headless Horseman.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0087_LegendofSleepyHollow_WashingtonIrving.pdf

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Washington Irving

This American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century, was best known for his short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”, both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.

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Annabel Lee

WRITTEN BY:
Edgar Allan Poe

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

This short poem explores the death of a woman that the narrator loved so much that even the angels envied their love. This was the last complete poem written by Poe before his death.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0064_AnnabelLee_EdgarAllanPoe.pdf

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Edgar Allan Poe

This American poet and writer is best known for his tales of mystery, horror and sheer terror, at least for the Victorian Age of the mid-1800s, which was his early audience.

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The Fall of the House of Usher

WRITTEN BY:
Edgar Allan Poe

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

This is a tale of an old man, Roderick Usher, who is being driven mad after his sister died and was entombed in a vault in the basement. Over the course of the story the unraveling of a terrible atrocity comes to light and threatens to avenge everyone dwelling in the House of Usher.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0060_FalloftheHouseofUsher_EdgarAllanPoe.pdf

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Edgar Allen Poe

This American poet and writer is best known for his tales of mystery, horror and sheer terror, at least for the Victorian Age of the mid-1800s, which was his early audience.

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The Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?

WRITTEN BY:
Immanuel Kant

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

In the modern era, we take the concept of Enlightenment for granted. The concepts of personal freedom, liberty and the ability to think for one-self have become a personal choice and fundamental to our everyday lives. Yet in 1784, when the essay was written, the concept of Enlightenment was an emerging idea and still a vague notion to most people. What is important for the modern listener in this essay is how Kant outlines those things that discourage enlightenment as well as those things that can enhance it on a personal and social level. The WIKIPEDIA link below provides a more detailed analysis of the essay, although the listener will appreciate how many of the issues defined by Kant are still relevant in today’s world.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0058_WhatisEnlightenment_ImmanuelKant.pdf

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Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher of the 18th Century, regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe and of the late Age of Enlightenment.

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The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

WRITTEN BY:
T.S. Eliot

NARRATED BY:
Michael Scott

This poem marks the beginning of T.S. Eliot’s career as one of the twentieth century’s most influential poets. As it shows only surface thought and images, it is considered difficult to interpret exactly what is going on in the poem, but there are a number of speculations on the interpretations.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0057_Prufrock_TSEliot.pdf

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TS ELIOT

Thomas Stearns Eliot was one of the most distinguished literary figures of the 20th century, winning the 1948 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry”. Although born in Missouri and attending Harvard, he lived most of his life in England. Eliot, while on a three month leave in the coastal resort of Margate for a period of convalescence possibly showed an early version of the poem to Ezra Pound. A year later Eliot had produced a 19-page version of the poem and Pound then made detailed editorial comments and significant cuts to the manuscript. Eliot dedicated the poem to Pound, referring to him as “il miglior fabbro”, Italian for “the better craftsman.”

Appearance and Reality: Excerpt from The Problems of Philosophy

WRITTEN BY
Bertrand Russell

NARRATED BY
Michael Scott

Appearance and Reality is the first chapter in the book The Problems of Philosophy, in which Bertrand Russell attempts to identify philosophical problems for the sake of discussion and discourse.

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ThoughtAudio PDF Transcript: TA0042_ProblemsofPhilosophy_BertrandRussell

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Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, atheist, socialist, pacifist and social critic. He is considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy, and is widely held to be one of the 20th century’s premier logicians. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 in recognition of his varied writings. Read more on Wikipedia.